Lubricating device



March 7, 1933. U N 1,900,429

I LUBRICATING DEVICE Filed 001;. 7, 1929 L,T"W7" Patented Mar. 7, 1933ED- 7STATES:

IIARRY F. CUNNING, F ROANOKE, VIRGINIA Luian cArme nnvicn Applicationfiled October 7, 1929. SerialNo. 397,967;

journal, due to the fact that the vibration to which thejournal boxesare subjected causes the waste to settle andpack, thereby=leaving aspace between the waste and the ournal. Furthermore, difliculty isOftBII- BXPGIlGIICGd with what is commonly termed waste grab, that is,portions of the waste'get in between the journal and its bearing. a Thiscondit on is usually brought about by the bearingbeing lifted from itsjournal, due to severeshocks' caused by emergency application of'the carbrakes or sudden stops from any cause.-

These'conditions, namely, first, the journal and waste not being in.contact and,second,

portions of the waste getting-in between the bearing and journal causethe bearing to heat inducing what; is commonly known as a hot b0x a Theprimary objects ofmy invention are, therefore, to provide simpleandreliable means for holding the waste in. contact with the journal and inpreventing'circumferential movement of the waste.

A primary feature :of the invention consists inassociating with thejournal box a pair of pivotally mounted members, each of which isprovided with a plurality'of fingers for maintaining 40 withthe-journal.7

Another feature of the invention consists in providing the interiorsurface of the jour-f nal box with arcplurality of recesses respectively adapted to receivethe fingersof. the

waste cooperating members so that whenthe latter are in inoperativepositions the lower inner surface of the box will be practically free ofprojections or protuberances to permit the waste to be easily andconveniently in serted into and withdrawn, from the box;

the waste in proper contact 7 center of. the

' ,Still another feature ofthe invention con sists in combining with'thewaste cooperat ing members spring means normally urging themember's in adirection so'as to maintain the waste in engagement with the journal.

Other and more specific features of the invention "residingin;advantageous forms, combinations and relationsof parts will hereinafter'appear and be pointed out in the claims. q r

In the drawing illustrating embodiment of the invention; Figure l'jis' afragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a journal box-showing theinvention applied thereto, the journal being omitted. w v

FigureQ is a fragmentary view pa'rtly'in elevation and partly insection, the sectional.

a P e e ed:

portion of the viewbeing taken in] a plane designated by the line22,Figure 1'. V

Figure 3 is'a fragmentary sectional view; illustrating the lubricatingdevice in ,oneof itsoperative positions, the left'hand portion of thefigure being takenina planeidesig nated by line 2-:2, Figure l andthe-right hand portion by the figure bein g ftaken in a plane designatedby line 3+3, Figure '1;

Referringmore particularly to the drawindicates the journal box, onlythe" lower half beingillustrated as'the construc- I tion of the upperhalf ofthe box, since it forms no part ofthe invention, may*be of anyusual or desired construction. The major portion of the lower half ofthe interior sur faceof'the box issemi cylindrical in section,- the-'center of curvature thereof beingfpreferably-disposed in the samevertical planeas the center of the journal 2. As is usual in', journalbox construction the rear wall or walls 3thereofare suitably aperturedasat; 4 to receive the j ournal'anclthe opposite-wall is formed withanopening5 normally closed by alid (not-shown). y i Pivotally mountedwithin the box is a pair of members 6, each of which comprises a mainrod or shaft 7 and a plurality of spaced arms orfingers 8'. Themembers'fi :are=respectively disposed on opposite sides'of-the V ournaland are preferably mounted adjacent the side walls 'ofthebox."

P TE TOF E I The inner ends of the shafts 7 are respectively journaledin openings 9 formed in the rear wall 3 of the box. Surrounding theseapertures the rear wall may advantageously be formed with inwardlyprojecting bosses 9a and in order to prevent longitudinal movement ofthe members 6 toward the rear wall 3 the portions of the shaftscooperating with the apertures are preferably reduced to form a shoulder10.

To support the outer ends of the shafts 7 the side walls of the box maybe conveniently integrally formed with inwardly projecting lugs orbrackets 11.. Each of the brackets is substantially U-shape in crosssection and is provided with an end wall 12 to prevent the associatedshaft 7 from movinglongitudia nally in a direction toward the front wallof the box. The shafts 7 may be retained in their respective brackets 11by any suitable means such as screws 13 respectively adapted to overliethe shafts thereby preventing their unintentional or accidental upwardmovement.

The waste cooperating fingers 8 are preferably formed integral withtheir shafts 7 and while any number of the fingers may be used it hasbeenfound that three will sufficiently and adequately perform theirintended function. The fingers are preferably shaped so as to conform tothe contour of,

adjacent portions of the interior of the box and since, as has alreadybeen stated, the

interior surface of the boxadj acent the lower portion issemi-cylindrical the fingers are curved, their center of curvature beingcoincident with that of the curved inner surface of the box. Theinterior of the box is formed with a plurality of recesses or de-.

pressed portions 14 for receiving and hous-' ing-the fingers 8 so thatwhen they are in inoperative position their outer surfaces will be flushwith adjacent portions of the inner surface of the box. Thus it will beperceived that the lower portion of the inner surface of the box is freefrom projections andprotuberancesthereby permitting the ready insertionof Waste into the box.

bodiment of the invention this means consists iently formed integralwith the associated shaft'7, a spring 16 and mechanism for vary-i ingthe force exerted by the spring on the Associated with each'of themembers 6 is a means for exerting suflicient pressure on the oil wasteto maintain it in proper contact with the journal and for preventingdisplacement of the waste. In the'present emof 3. depending arm 15 whichmaybe convenarm 15. As the arms 15'are disposed substantially verticallywhen the members6 are in inoperative positions the' box is formed Withcavities or recesses 17 for receiving or housing the arms 15. 3

Whil'e the spring 16 and its associated arm 15 -may be operativelyconnected in any de- -formed with a head, such as a hexagonal nutlikeportion 21 for cooperating with a wrench or the like, which may beemployed for rotating the sleeves in the desired direction. The end ofthecoil spring 16 opposite to the end attached to the arm 15 isdisposedwithin the sleeve 20 and abuts against its closed end. It willthus be perceived that by rotating the sleeves to cause them to moveinwardly force is transmittedto the arms 15 through the intermediacy ofthe coil springs 16 whereby the shafts 7 are rotated in a direction tomove the fingers 8 upwardly. Any suitable means such as a lock nut 22may be employed for maintaining the sleeve 20 in a desired position ofadjustment.

The manner of associating and disassociating the members .6 with theournal will, of course, .bereadily appreciated. When the parts are inthe position as indicated in Figure land it is desired to remove themfrom the box, the members 6 are rotated by hand to withdraw the coiledsprings 16 from their sleeves 20. The screws 13 are then withdrawn fromthe brackets 11 to permit the outer ends of the members 6 to beelevated, After this is accomplished the inner ends of the shafts 7 maybe readily withdrawn from the apertures 9 in the inner wall of the boxand the members bodily removed from the box through the opening 5. Inassembling,

the members practically the reverse operation is performed,-namely, themembers 6 with their coiled springs attached, are inserted into the boxthrough the opening 5, the

Rand-the coil springs 16 inserted in their sleeves 20. I v a After theparts have been also assembled the sleeves 20 are so adjusted that thefingers 8 and the arms 15 of the members may fall by gravity into theirrespective recesses or housings. T he waste [which has. already beensaturated with the required amount of oil may then be inserted in thebox. Under present approved methods of packing journal boxes enoughwaste must be used to fill the space between the underside of thejournal and the bottom of the box so that the Figure 1.

waste will be held firmly in contact with the journal. By the use of thepresent invention, however, smaller quantities of waste may be employedthan heretofore considered essential for efliciently lubricating thejournal, as the members 6 are operated to support or hold the waste incontact with the ournal. Thusit will be perceived that considerablesaving may be eflected by the use of the present invention due to thefact that smaller quantities of waste may be used. Since, the members 6are operated through the intermediacy ofthe springs 16, the latter willnot only constantly exert sufficient force tending to keep the waste incontact with the journal but will also absorb vibrations tending tocondense the waste. Although the waste is a comparatively homogeneousmass, due to its inherent resiliency and the fact that the fingersare'spaced a relatively great distance apart, portions of the wastebetween the fingers will expand or sag downwardly, as shown in dottedlines in Thus portions of the waste will always remain in contact withany oil that may be in the bottom of the box so asto maintain a threadconnection between the latter and the journal. Furthermore, sinceportions of the waste, when the fingers are 1n operative position alsoextend downwardly between the fingers of both of the mem-' bers, thewaste is effectually prevented from movement longitudinally andcircumferentially of the journal.

I claim: 7

1. Inga journal box adapted to receive a bodyof oil waste in a singlemass in contactvith the journal and the bottom of the box,

means for maintaining the waste in contact with the ournal, said meansincludmg a pivotally mounted member provided with. a plurality offingers movable upwardly toward the journal for elevating portions ofthe body of waste, said fingers being arranged to permit portions of thebody of waste between them to sag downwardly so as to maintain threadconnection between the bottom of the box and the journal when thefingers moved toward the latter.

2. In a journal box adapted to receive a body of oil waste in a singlemass in contact with the journal and the bottom of the box, means formaintaining the waste in contact with the journal involving a pair ofpivottions of the body of waste between them to ally mounted membersrespectively provided with a plurality of spaced.fingersmovable upwardlytoward the journal for elevating portions of the body of waste, thefingers of each member being arranged to permit poi sag downwardly so asto maintain a thread connection between the bottom of the box and thejournal when the fingers are moved toward the latter.

3. In a journal box adapted to receive a body of oil waste-in a single,mass in contact with the journal and the bottom of the box,

journal when the fingers are moved toward the latter.

' 4,111 a journal boxadapted to receive a body ot oil waste in a singlemass in contact with the journal and the bottom of the box, means formaintainingthe wastein contact with the journal, said means comprising apair of members respectively provided with a shaft and a plurality offingers, said shaft being pivotally mounted within the box and saidfingers being'movable upwardlytoward the ournal for elevating portionsof the body ofwaste, the fingers of each memberbelng spacedlongitudinally of the journal a suf- 1 ficient distance to permitportions of the body of waste between the fingers to sag down wardly andthereby inaintam a thread cone nection between the bottom of the: boxand the journal when the fingers are moved toward the latter. 7 V r 5.In a' journal box'adapted to receive a body of oil waste in asingle-mass between the ournal and the bottom of the box, a pair ofcooperating members for maintaining the waste in contact with thejournal, said memhers being respectively pivotallymounted adjacent theside walls of the box, each of said side walls being rigidly providedadjacent its forward p-ortionwith a bracket and the rear wall of theboxbeing provided with apertures respectively. adjacent said side walls,said members being respectively ournaled in said bracketsand saidapertures.

6. In a'journal box adapted torec-eive a body of oil waste in a singlemass in contact with the journal and the bottom of the box, a pairot'members for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal, eachof said memhers being provided with plurality of curved fingersspacedlongitudinally of the ournalan-d movable toward the latter forelevating portions of thebody of waste, the

fingers of each member beingarranged to permit portions of the body ofwaste bet-ween them to sag downwardly so as to maintain a threadconnection between the bottom of the box and thejournal whenv thefingers are movedtoward the latter.

' 7. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair ofpi'votallymounted members for maintaining the waste in'contact with the V journal,each of said members being provid-' ed with a plurality of fingers, saidfingers when in inoperative position being contiguous to the walls ofthe box and being of a shape to conform to the interior surface 0adjacent portions of the latter.

8. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, the inner surface ofthe lower portion of the box being curved, a pair of pivotally' mountedmembers for maintaining the waste in contact with the ournal, saidmembers being respectively disposed adjacent the side walls of the boxand being provided with a plurality of fingers, the latter being curvedsimilarly to adjacent portions of the curved inner surface of the box.

9. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal,said members being respectively disposed adjacent the side Walls of thebox and being provided with a plurality of fingers, the interior of thebox being formed with a plurality of recesses for respectively receivingsaid fingers.

10. In a journal box for receiving oilwaste, a pair of pivotally mountedmembers for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal, andmechanism for rotating said members involving arms disposed within thebox and rigidly united to the members, and means operable from theexterior of the box for actuating said arms.

11. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal,said members being respectively disposed adjacent the side walls of thebox and each being provided with an arm disposed within the box, andmechanisms for respectively operating said members, each of saidmechanisms involving rotatable means operatively connected to the arm ofan adjacent member andadapted to be actuated from the outside of saidbox.

12. In a journal box adapted to receive oil 7 Waste, a pair of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal,said members being respectivelydis posed adjacent the side walls of thebox and each being rigidly provided with an arm disposed within the box,and mechanisms "for respectively operating said members, each of saidmechanisms comprising rotatable means operable from the outside of thebox, and flexible means operatively interposed between the rotatablemeans and the arm of an adj a cent member.

13. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair, of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with the journal,said members being respectively disposed adjacent the side walls of thebox and each being rigidly provided with an arm disposed within the box,and mechanisms for respectively operating 'said' members, each of saidmechanisms comprising a member rotatably mounted in a side wall of thebox and operable from the outside of the box, and a coiled springoperatively interposed between the rotatable member and the adjacentarm.

14. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with thejournal,said members being respectively disposed adjacent the side wallsof the box and each being integrally provided with a depending armdisposed within the box, and mechanisms for respectively operatingsaidmembers, each of said mechanisms involving a sleeve having threadedconnection with the box and operable from the outside thereof and acoiled spring disposed within said sleeve and connected to the arm of anadjacent member.

15. In a journal box adapted to receive oil waste, a pair of pivotallymounted members for maintaining the waste in contact with the ournal,said members being respectively disposed adjacent the side walls of thebox and each being rigidly provided with a depending armdisposed withinthe box, and mechanisms for respectively operating said members, each ofsaid mechanisms involving means operatively associated with an adjacentarm and mounted in a side wall of the box whereby it may be operatedfrom the outside of said box, the latter being provided with recessesfor receiving said arms.

In testimony whereof I affix my slgnature.

HARRY F. CUNNING.

